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Anakin woke up in pain.
That wasn’t a shock in itself. Ever since the war had begun, ever since he had lost his arm, the pain had been a factor in his life.
What was a shock was why.
His shoulders burned. His arms were chained above his head, restrained to the wall behind his feet just about touching the floor. He was in some kind of cell, durra-steel surrounding him with a red energy shield blocking the door.
This, this didn’t make any sense.
The last thing Anakin remembered he wasn’t even at the front. He’d been on leave.
He’d gone to Alderan. It had been Obi Wan’s idea, a trip to a peaceful, beautiful planet where there wasn’t any sand in sight. He had vetoed Anakin's suggestion of Naboo, complaining that it was where they always spent their off duty leave.
It wasn’t Anakin's fault that Naboo was one of the only planets that wasn’t Coruscant or Tatooine that Anakin knew well. Of course, that would be his suggestion.
Then again Obi Wan had bad personal memories of Naboo. And he’d looked so relaxed on Alderan, more relaxed than he had ever really seen him.
And at the end of the day, Anakin didn’t really care where he was as long as he was with his former master.
Obi Wan!
He had been with him. He definitely had. So where was he now?
He pulled at the restraints but there was no give. He groaned, frustrated.
It was typical, of all the times he could have been captured, with all the reckless actions he had undertaken on the front in the outer rim, it had been on a core planet. On a pacifist core planet at that when he had been captured. He lowered his shields, reaching out to Obi Wan along their illicit bond. It was fuzzy. Confused. Anakin couldn’t make out any true thoughts from him. It seemed like Obi Wan was groggy as if he was still waking up.
Anakin sighed. So there would be no answers from him. He would have to try and work this out on his own.
He closed his eyes, reaching out with the force. It soon became apparent that they were not on a planet anymore. They were on some kind of starship. Judging by the lack of sentient signatures on board he deduced it must be a separatist ship.
How had they been captured by a separatist ship while on leave in the core?
He reached out further. There was another force signature out there. One distinct from Obi Wans. He reached towards it tentatively, before reeling back.
Whoever that was. Their signature was dark. Stained. It was the signature of someone who had fallen. Someone who used the dark side.
Anakin backed away, not wanting to get their attention but it was too late. They were approaching, their signature growing stronger. The darkness crowded up against him, growing more and more overwhelming.
The energy shield crackled and disappeared.
Asajj Ventress stepped into the cell.
“Hello Skywalker,” she said, “You were disappointingly easy to capture.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint Ventress.”
“You did. Unlike your Master, you are so often disappointing when it comes to challenges. He challenges me so often, he’s such fun compared to you.”
Anakin strained at his bonds. “What have you done to Obi Wan!”
She shook her head. “My, my Skywalker. So easy to rile. I rest my case, you are far too easy. At least Kenobi makes me earn his reactions.”
She put her hand over his mouth, muffling his response.
“All in good time Skywalker. I will take you to see him in good time. Really, Count Dooku warned me this would be difficult. That I would be facing off with the most dangerous partnership in the Republic. I have to say, I have been very disappointed with your efforts so far.”
She withdrew. Anakin scoffed.
“Give me my lightsaber and I’ll show you how good my efforts can be.”
Ventress shook her head, an infuriating smirk on her face. “Now why would I want to do that. I have you exactly where I want you Skywalker. Now…”
She turned to walk out of the cell. “I’m off to see Kenobi. I’m informed you still have a training bond with him. I’d keep an eye on it if I was you. It may make you more willing to talk with me.”
She left, energy shield reigniting behind her.
Anakin struggled against his bonds, desperately trying to follow.
She disappeared out of sight, the sound of her laughter echoing down the corridors.
Anakin reached put again into the bond, but the connection was still hazy. He groaned in frustration. If he had to guess it seemed Obi Wan was still unconscious. It was different to the feel of the bond when he was asleep, Anakin could still normally pick out emotions when he woke up before his master. But something was blocking him, it felt almost artificial. Like he was being forced asleep. Like he was drugged.
Anakin rattled his cuffs again in frustration.
He should be there. He should be able to help Obi Wan.
The ship jerked forward, slamming his head back into the wall. Anakin shut his eyes against the pain and trying to overcome the sense of nausea rising from his stomach. The ship had gone into light speed.
That was not good, tracking them would be much more difficult if they were in hyperspace.
Anakin could feel the early stirrings of recognition along the bond. There was panic before his shields closed muffling the link. Anakin reached out again, sending a cautious nudge along it, brushing against his shields.
He felt Obi Wan relax slightly. He felt close. They were being kept on the same ship. That Anakin was sure of. A message like that would not have worked across a long distance.
Obi Wan’s emotions tensed again. His shields grew stronger. Anakin became more insistent. His master hadn’t been able to truly block him out in a while, not since their relationship changed.
He felt a sharp sense of annoyance from Obi Wan and withdrew slightly, chastened.
He didn’t want to infringe on Obi Wans privacy, but there was no way they were getting out of this without some sort of cooperation. And their bond was the only kind of communication they had.
There was a flair of fear before the shields shut completely.
Anakin was left alone.
He grasped onto the bond desperately, hammering against the shields. Obi Wan had to let him in, he had to. He couldn’t leave him alone.
Pain fired across it. So strong, so intense that he felt it was happening to his own body. Every cell seemed like it was being burned. That he was on fire. That he had been left to burn to death.
And nothing was happening to him at all.
Someone was hurting Obi Wan. Ventress was hurting Obi Wan, Anakin was sure of that now. She was torturing him, trying to get information about the council, or maybe just for fun. Knowing Ventress it could be either. The scar over his eye throbbed. He knew just how vindictive she could be. That particular injury had been deliberate, to force him to remember her. To remember her ability with a lightsaber.
Pain coursed through him again. He felt Obi Wans shields weaken, cracking under the strain. If this pain was filtered, what was emerging from behind his shields then what Obi Wan was feeling must be even worse. The pain his Master must be feeling…
He pulled even harder against his bonds, thrashing desperately. He needed to get to his master. He needed to help. He couldn’t get to him. He had to. He couldn’t leave Obi Wan to face this alone.
The pain stopped. Anakin was just left with the sound of his own heavy breathing. Obi Wan felt tired. Tired in a way that was beyond the usual weariness that Anakin had become so associated with Obi Wan since the war had begun. This felt bone-deep, pained tiredness. Anakin tried to reach along the bond, concerned. Trying to get a sense of what was happening. How it was possible for him to help.
Obi Wan reached back, sending a sense of reassurance along the bond.
It was not at all reassuring.
Anakin felt deflated. Useless. Ventress hadn’t done anything to him, she’d just baited him. Tried to get a reaction out of him. Yet she was torturing Obi Wan. Causing him actual physical pain. He didn’t understand why. What was so different between them. Obi Wan would never break under that sort of pressure. He took his responsibilities far too seriously.
The pain inflicted on himself wasn’t something that would particularly work for Anakin either, but he didn’t understand why they hadn’t at least tried it. What was it about Obi Wan that interested this separatist detachment so much?
The ship shuddered around him. Anakin took a deep breath. He had to calm down. He had to focus. He would be no use to Obi Wan if he kept losing his head in here. He had been trained for situations like this. There was a way for them to get out of here. Anakin just had to work it out.
He scanned the room. The cell looked recently refitted, the dura-steel was shiny and new. The energy shield was humming steadily. There was no sign of the flickers that indicated an underpowered or failing shield.
Come on he thought. There had to be something.
There. At the top of the cell, there was a ventilation hatch. If he could get to that he could find Obi Wan. See what was happening to him. Try and get them both out.
He just needed to get out of these bindings.
He reached out into the force, seeing if he could see any flaws in the system.
And was hit by another wave of excruciating pain.
He hunched over as much as he could in his restraints. He could feel it as if it was happening to him. Obi Wans shields were railing, he could feel the desperation, the pain, the despair.
He didn’t know how Obi Wan was still conscious, the degree of pain, the pressure his body must be under…
Anakin closed his eyes, trying to block it out. He wasn’t strong enough to witness this. He couldn’t do it. Obi Wan felt like he was growing weaker. Like he was giving up, preparing to pass on. Anakin couldn’t bring himself to witness that. He couldn’t imagine life without Obi Wan, but he couldn’t watch while he left the world either.
He felt tears track down his cheeks. It was like he was being tortured himself, he wished he was being tortured. It would have been less painful if he was being tortured.
The pain abruptly stopped. Anakin heaved deep breaths, keeping his eyes closed. He reached out tentatively, afraid of what he might find. Obi Wan was till there; tired, pained and struggling. But he was still alive. Anakin let himself breathe in relief. Now if he could only work out the binds.
He heard the energy shield fizzle out, and footsteps echo through the cell.
He opened his eyes to find Ventress standing before him.
She lowered her face towards his, a cruel smile breaking out across it.
“Now Skywalker, I’m sure you’ve felt what we’re doing to Kenobi across your bond”
She sneered around the word. Before dropping the hammer blow.
“Now, will you talk?”